As of January 2016, Sri Lanka have faced all nine teams in Test cricket, with their most frequent opponent being Pakistan, playing 51 matches against them.[19] Sri Lanka have registered more wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh than any other team, with 14.[19] In ODI matches, Sri Lanka have played against 17 teams; they have played against India most frequently, with a winning percentage of 39.49 in 149 matches.[20] Within usual major ODI nations, Sri Lanka have defeated England on 34 occasions, which is their best record in ODIs.[20] The team have competed against 13 countries in T20Is, and have played 15 matches against New Zealand. Sri Lanka have defeated Australia and West Indies 6 occasions each.[21] Sri Lanka was the best T20I team in the world, where they ranked number one in more than 32 months, and reached World Twenty20 final in three times.

As of 10 November 2016, Sri Lanka have played 253 Test matches; they have won 80 matches, lost 92 matches, and 81 matches were drawn.[22] As of 27 November 2016, Sri Lanka have played 782 ODI matches, winning 368 matches and losing 374; they also tied 5 matches, whilst 35 had no result.[23] As of 9 September 2016, Sri Lanka have played 87 T20I matches and won 46 of them; 39 were lost and 1 tied and 1 no result match as well.[24]

Sri Lanka won its first Test match under the leadership of Duleep Mendis on 11 September 1985 against India, when they beat them by 149 runs at P.Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo.[26] Eventually they won the three-match Test series, 1-0.[27] Sri Lanka had to wait for more than 7 years for their next series victory, which came against New Zealand in December 1992. Sri Lanka won the two Test match series 1-0.[28] This was immediately followed by a 1 wicket victory against England in a Test series containing a solitary Test match.[29]

2 years later, on 15 March 1995, Sri Lanka won its first overseas Test match under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga against New Zealand, when they beat them by 241 runs at Napier.[30] This win also resulted in their first overseas Test series victory, 1-0.[31] Their next series too was an overseas series, against Pakistan, and that one too resulted in Sri Lankan victory.[32]

On 11 September 1999, under the leadership of Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka won its first Test match against Australia, when they beat them by 6 wickets at Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy.[33] Eventually they won the three-match Test series, 1-0.

On 14 June 2000, Sri Lanka played their 100th match against Pakistan on 14 June, 2000. They played this match at SSC, Colombo under the leadership of Sanath Jayasuriya. Pakistan won the watch by 5 wickets.[34]

On 4 August 2016, they played their 250th Test match when they played Australia in Galle.[35] They won the match by 229 runs,[36] and also won the Warne-Muralidharan trophy for the first time since its inception. On 17 August 2016, under the leadership of Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka whitewashed Australia 3-0 for the first time in Test cricket.[37] With that feat, Sri Lanka whitewashed Zimbabwe 3 times, Bangladesh single time and Australia single time in test cricket.

In Test matches, the team wears cricket whites, with an optional sweater or sweater-vest with a dark blue and blue V-neck for use in cold weather, such as Australia, England, and New Zealand tours. The Sri Lankan flag is found in the left side of chest of the jersey and usually the Test cap number can be seen below the flag. The team's official sponsors have been Dilmah Tea since the 1996s until the 2000s. The sponsor's logo displayed on the right side of the chest and sleeve with the Sri Lankan Cricket logo deployed on the left in test cricket. Since 2000 to 2010, the sponsors have been changed from Ceylon Tea, Reebok, Mobitel Sri Lanka and Dialog Axiata.

Sri Lanka's One Day and Twenty 20 kits vary from year to year with the team wearing its bright blue colour in various shades from kit to kit with yellow stripes in shoulders and waist. Historically, Sri Lanka's kits have had shades of bright blue and golden yellow.

For official ICC tournaments such as ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC World Twenty20 and Asia Cup, 'Sri Lanka' is written on the front of the jersey in place of the sponsor logo, with the sponsor logo being placed on the sleeve. A remarkable change in the colour of the kit of Sri Lanka can be found during the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 edition in South Africa. The team coloured with pale silver and the kit has never seen since then in the team. Since then, Sri Lankan kit never changed from the usual brilliant blue colour and very fine yellow stripes. For 2016 ICC World Twenty20, orange and green colours in the flag also included in to the jersey.

However, for non-ICC tournaments and bilateral and tri-nation matches, the sponsor logo features prominently on the front of the shirt. Currently the main sponsors for Sri Lanka cricket are Ceylon Tea, Dialog Axiata and MAS Holdings.

Sri Lanka's cricket team's logo is a golden lion with a sword bearing on the right arm and the background in bright blue in colour. The name "Sri Lanka Cricket" is written below the lion. In Test cricket, the logo in the cap is slightly changed, where the lion with a sword is covered by petals of lotus and then a blue circle covered the crest and yellow circle covers the blue circle.